List what you already know about your topic, and what you need to know or want to know.

Determine what perspective will you take on your topic.

Deternine the geographic region on which you will focus.

Choose a specific time period.

Often doing some preliminary reading or background research is extremely helpful in developing a focus. Move to the next step 'Getting Background Info' for some tips.

Finding Background Information

Developing a comprehensive understanding of your topic is essential when
embarking on research. One way to gain background information is to utilize
reference sources. This will help you to focus and concentrate your interest
in a researchable portion of your topic. For help developing background
information:

The Oxford Art Online is an online encyclopedia of art and art related items. It is particularly useful for finding a definition of a particular style or movement or for finding biographical information on an artist. Entries are created by scholars and include a bibliography.

Reference Universe: This is a searchable database that indexes information from specialized subject encyclopedias. It does not include the full text of reference materials but will point you to reference sources that cover your topic. It searches both the titles of reference articles as well as the encyclopedia / dictionary indexes, providing a thorough level of access to materials and potential sources. CU

Before you start to research a topic, you need to develop keywords
that represent your research interest, question, or inquiry.

Keywords are significant words (usually nouns
or noun phrases) which can be used as search terms in online
catalogs or databases. Keywords will determine the quantity and relevance
of results you retrieve when searching.

First you will identify and articulate your topic
in your own words:

Example: I am interested in investigating architecture in Spanish religion.

Next you will designate the main concepts or ideas
that describe the topic:

Concept 1:

architecture

Concept 2:

Spanish

Concept 3:

religion

Then develop other terms and vocabulary that represent
the topic. Some terms may be broader, narrower, or synonyms. Adding
terms that represent geographical distincitions, time periods, or significant
figures about your topic may also be useful.

Concept 1:

Design

Construction

Architectonics

Building

Concept 2:

Iberian

Latin American

Castilian

Hispanic

American

Concept 3:

Catholicism

Theology

Religiosity

Piety

Faith

Combining Keywords

Operators:

AND: architectonics AND Spain (must
find both terms)OR: Chicano OR Latino (must find one of the terms)NOT: Latin America NOT Mexico (must find first term
NOT second term)

Chinook is the catalog for materials owned by the CU Libraries. You can do a title search for a specific book, or a keyword search if you are looking for books on a particular topic. You can also use MyChinook to manage your library account (including renewals, holds, recalls, saved searches, etc.)

To find books on relevant topics, search Chinook more in-depth by using LC Subject Headings. The following selection may help get you started. Also, pay attention to the subject headings used for books you've already identified in order to find other works on the same subject and also identify keyword search terms.

If you search Chinook and find that the CU Libraries do not have the item you are looking for (or if the item you are looking for is checked out), you can search Prospector, which is a combined library catalog of 23 libraries in Colorado and Wyoming. CU students, staff and faculty can request materials through Prospector, and the items will generally be delivered to Norlin within a few business days.

If the item you are looking for is not in Chinook or Prospector, you can request it through Interlibrary Loan (ILL). Generally, an ILL request will take longer to be delivered than material requested through Prospector.

If you are looking for articles on a particular topic, you can use many relevant databases that CU Libraries subscribes to. Some of the article databases only include citation information about the article, while others include access to the full-text of the document, usually in either PDF or HTML format.

The most relevant databases for the Visual Arts are listed below. You can also try the Find Articles & More page where the databases are organized by subject/ discipline categories.

If the particular database you search does not have the full-text of the article available, look for the 'Find it at CU' option to search for electronic or print copies. If you are unable to locate the 'Find it at CU' option, follow the steps for finding a specific article below.

Typically you may search by keyword, author, title and more. For help developing keywords, go to How do I Choose Keywords?HINT! Keep track of search terms. Look for database recommended search terms and help resources.

The Libraries subscribe to numerous databases and choosing the right article database can be difficult. There are numerous types of databases some will provide citations and abstracts, some will also include full text, some will link to reference materials, and more.

General and Interdisciplinary databases: These databases are a good starting point when you are new to your topic. They often include scholarly and popular sources as well as material from a variety of disciplines and perspetives. For Example: Academic Search Premier

Subject or Discipline Databases: These databases will help you find material from specific disciplines. They provide more in-depth and focused research. For Example:Anthropology Plus orATLA Religion Database

Format Specific Databases: These databases are narrowed to specific types of material, such as newspapers, statistics, images, biographies etc. For Example: ProQuest newspapers

Art Index is a bibliographic database that indexes and abstracts articles from periodicals published throughout the world. Periodical coverage includes English-language periodicals, yearbooks, and museum bulletins.

Provides full abstracts of journal articles, books, essays, exhibition catalogs, PhD dissertations, and exhibition reviews on all forms of modern (late 19th century) and contemporary art, including photography since its invention. Entries date back as far as the late 1960s. The coverage of ABM is wide-ranging and includes performance art and installation works, video art, computer and electronic art, body art, graffiti, artists' books, theatre arts, conservation, crafts, ceramic and glass art, ethnic arts, graphic and museum design, fashion, and calligraphy, as well as traditional media including illustration, painting, printmaking, sculpture, and drawing.

Art Index CU
Index of leading publications in the world of arts. Coverage: 1984-present.

Film Databases

Film and Television Literature Index CU
A comprehensive bibliographic database covering the entire spectrum of television and film writing. It has been designed for use by a diverse audience that includes film scholars, college students, and general viewers. Subject coverage includes film & television theory, preservation & restoration, writing, production, cinematography, technical aspects, and reviews.

MLA Directory of Periodicals CU
MLA International Bibliography is produced by the Modern Language Association. Index to articles in literature, languages, linguistics, and folklore from several thousand journals and series published worldwide. Coverage: 1963-present.

Newspapers are often the best source of information for contemporary artists. Like with the other databases, use the name of your artist as your keyword. Be careful when searching for films, you will yield mostly reviews.

Search:

1. Enter Search Terms - keywords, artists name

2. Search Within - Major US and World Publications

3. Specify Date - automatic default is 2 years, change to All Available Dates if 2 years does not yield results

ARTstorCU
Searchable database of more than 300,000 digital images and associated catalog data. ARTstor covers many time periods and cultures, and documents the fields of architecture, painting, sculpture, photography, decorative arts, and design, as well as many other forms of visual culture. Users can search, view, and download images.

Emphasizing ancient, medieval, and Renaissance European art and architecture. AICT is intended primarily to disseminate images of art and architectural works in the public domain on a free-access, free-use basis to all levels of the educational community, as well as to the public at large.

The Web Gallery of Art is a virtual museum and searchable database of European painting and sculpture of the Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque periods (1100-1850), currently containing over 14,500 reproductions. Commentaries on pictures, biographies of artists are available.

WebMuseum is an online collection of images ranging from European Gothic to Twentieth Century to Japanese art and architecture. The site was created to showcase art and architecture and to provide an online resource to items available in art museums around the world. Anyone is able to contribute to the collection of online images therefore it is necessary to be careful about the nature of the information provided.

REFWorks
A personal online database and bibliography creator that allows users to create a personal database online, import references automatically from multiple databases, organize references, and quickly format bibliographies and manuscripts. You will need to create a login and password. Provided by the University of Colorado Boulder Libraries.

Pick an Interesting Topic It is easier to express your own opinions and thoughts if you are interested in the topic.

Manage Your Time

Many students are tempted to plagiarize because they do not start researching and writing far enough in advance. Start your paper at least 3 weeks before the due date. Plagiarism could compromise your entire academic career. Speak to your professor if you have run out of time.

Create a Bibliography as you Research

Record the sources you consult. Include all the bibliographic information needed in your works cited (Author, Title, Pages, Publisher, Year, Volume, Issue).This will help you to cite correctly and to compile your works cited.

Take Clear Notes

Designate all direct quotes with quotation marks.

Designate when you are paraphrasing.

Electronic Research and Note taking is the same: Use quotation marks when you cut and paste.

Always note the source/ author.

Be Careful with Paraphrasing

Be sure you understand the text.

Do not look at the original source when writing your paraphrase.

Reorganize the information in your own words and in your own style.

Check to be sure you have not used the vocabulary or structure of the original work.

There are three steps you can follow to evaluate the sources (articles, websites, books) that you have found. You will want to evaluate the credibility of the author, validity of the research, and relevance of articles and web sites.

Authority of the Author

The first step in evaluating a source is determining the authority of the author who produced the material. To determine authority, you'll want to evaluate the trustworthiness (credentials, education, experience, etc.) of an author.

To determine credibility, ask these questions:

Is the author formally educated in the subject?

Does the author work for a university or research center?

Is the author a recognized scholar in the subject?

Does the author have an established history of research and writing on the subject?

Validity of the Research

The second step of evaluating a source is determining the validity of the research being presented in the article, website or book. To ensure that the research is valid, you want to determine the quality of the research used to support the argument being made. It is also important to remember that excellent or persuasive writing doesn't necessarily ensure that the research presented is valid.

To determine the validity of the research in the source, ask these questions:

Does the author thoroughly cite all the sources? (Saying "a study was done" is not a citation.)

Is there a list of sources at the end of the article?

Does the author's evidence support the claim?

Is the author's evidence objective research instead of personal narrative?

Does it come from a peer-reviewed publication (which means the research was evaluated by experts before it was published)?

Relevance to Your Topic

The third step in evaluating a source is determining the article's relevance to your topic:

To determine relevance, ask these questions:

Is the article sufficiently broad to address the issue you are discussing?

If the article is broad, can its conclusions be applied to your subject? (e.g. an article about drinking habits of students at large universities applies to your subject of drinking habits of CU students)

If the article is narrow, can its conclusions be generalized to your subject? (e.g. an article about volleyball players and eating disorders at Honalee State University can be applied to your subject of eating disorders in women college athletes)

The key difference between scholarly and popular magazine articles is the required peer review process for scholarly journal articles.

Peer review is a publishing process in academic fields. Before editors decide whether to accept an article for publication in a scholarly journal, they need to send this article to other researchers in this article's subject area to do a review. This process is called "peer review" because the author's peers (i.e. other scholars) decide if the article should be published.

Below are some of the characteristics of scholarly journals and popular magazines and newspapers.

Type of Periodical

Scholarly Journal

Popular Magazine or Newspaper

Contents

Original Research

In-Depth Analysis

Current Events / Popular topics / Interviews
Not original research by the author